lwidmer | Words on the Page

Worthy Tip: This Job, Not That Job

Posted on December 1, 2010 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen A new month, eh? I know it’s not January 1st, but even December 1st can be a turning point. Hey, in my world, turning points occur on November 6th, March 19th, July 23rd, etc. I’m going to say it – every day is a new chance…

Monthly Assessment: November 2010

Posted on November 30, 2010 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Maytrees by Annie DillardWhat’s on the iPod: The One Who Loves You Most by Brett Dennen If agony had a physical presence, it would be my career this past month. I knew things would be slow post-surgery, post-vacation, and post-house guest visits. At a standstill? I never expected that. I had…

Today’s Second Post: A Response to a DS Question

Posted on November 29, 2010 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Evil is Alive and Well by Jakob Dylan You know how much I hate returning to the same old argument. But a comment left on this thread today pretty much has me revisiting and reopening old wounds. Mind you, the comment started out with a rational attempt at clearing the air,…

The Push is On

Posted on November 29, 2010 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: January Wedding by The Avett Brothers I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. Ours was spent with my youngest at her off-campus house in western PA. She made an incredible meal, and we spent the day with her and my parents. Then we went to see Harry Potter. It rained,…

When Breaking Up is Easy to Do

Posted on November 26, 2010 by lwidmer

What I’m reading downstairs: The Maytrees by Annie DillardWhat’s on the iPod: Mercury by Scott Blasey Sometimes, making those tough decisions becomes that much easier. I’d been building toward cutting a client loose for a variety of reasons (not just price), and I’d resolved to do so within the next few weeks. Then a minor…

What I’m Thankful For

Posted on November 25, 2010 by lwidmer

What’s on the daughter’s iPod: Love the Way You Lie by Eminem with Rihanna I didn’t think I’d have time to post today, but the turkey is in the oven and we’re waiting for when the rest goes into production. My youngest is doing her first holiday meal, so we traveled to share the day…

Boredom and Creativity

Posted on November 24, 2010 by lwidmer

What I’m still reading upstairs: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David SedarisWhat’s on the iPod: Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen How bored can a working person get? If you’ve worked in an office, you’ve been there. Nothing at ALL on your desk and you’re forced to look busy lest you send the message that…

Your Best Advice

Posted on November 23, 2010 by lwidmer

What’s on the iPod: Ships with Holes Will Sink by We Were Promised Jetpacks Last week I had a nice conversation with a friend of a relative. She was about to say goodbye to her full-time job and wanted to hear about my experiences with freelancing. This is a person with a solid background in…

Self-sabotage

Posted on November 22, 2010 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Maytrees by Annie Dillard (a book to savor)What’s on the iPod: Sunshine by The Clarks Busy weekend. If you looked around the house, you wouldn’t think I did a thing, but if you opened my closet – voila! I cleaned, organized, and hauled away two bags of clothes and purses. Now…

Worthy Tip: Write This, Not That

Posted on November 19, 2010 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Devil’s Tour by Mary KarrWhat’s on the iPod: Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit Men’s Health Editor-in-chief David Zinczenko impresses me. He’s made a lucrative career out of showing us healthier food options in his popular Eat This, Not That series. I’m a fan of both his suggestions and his style….

Eileen

November 19, 2010

It has taken me many years, but I have finally learned to say no to jobs that don't pay fairly. I work in a field, direct response copywriting and magalog copywriting, where there are a lot of wanna-be's and newbies looking for their shot. As a result, many of them work on spec or for low pay to get a foot in the door. Unfortunately, this has taught many clients that they can negotiate down. Earlier this year, I had a prospect who was a big name in the magalog world come to me and ask me to do a project – for less than half my normal fee. "To get my foot in the door" with them, of course. No matter that I have a solid portfolio, track record, and good reputation in the field. To a newbie, the $6000 fee they were willing to pay was generous. To me, it revealed they didn't value everything I was bringing to the table. So I said no. And I'm so glad I did, because shortly after that a dream client came along who is wonderful to work with, has oodles of work for me, doesn't quibble over my fees, and treats me like a trusted partner instead of a hired hack. If there were one thing I could say to a newbie, it would be to let go of those poorly paying jobs and go after better jobs. Every time I turn down a job (almost always with a pang of regret and fear) something far better comes along. I think we must send out some kind of vibe about how we value ourselves, and the universe takes heed and rewards us accordingly.

Lori

November 19, 2010

Excellent response, Eileen. I agree completely – the vibe we send out to clients matters as much as the words we use to negotiate. I remember one call recently where the client was asking my rates. I stated them with confidence because I'm at a point where I know I'm worth it. He wavered, not me. And he waited until email to really negotiate. It didn't matter. The price I quoted was fair and he eventually saw that.

You were so smart to turn that down. Sure, it was $6K left on the table, but if it was half what the job was worth, you made the best decision. I had a job like that once back in my newbie days. It paid $5,200. It was the hardest $5,200 I have ever made, and in the end I was grossly underpaid. I learned then – never compromise on price. You'll resent the client and yourself.

Eileen

November 19, 2010

I think we've all had a lesson like that, Lori. As unpleasant as it is, it's a lesson that sticks.

One technique I use to improve my earnings is to look at the average earnings per invoice for the year. When I started out, it was probably less than $100. Today, it's $2600. That's everything averaged together – from the 50% deposit on a $14,000 magalog job, to a $50 courtesy review of a client's one-page letter. It's an imperfect measure, but as long as I'm seeing an overall positive trend, I know I'm going in the right direction.

Lori

November 19, 2010

That's a great method! And it's so motivational.

I'm going to try that. Thank you. 🙂

Ashley

November 19, 2010

well I wrote a much longer comment but blogspot ate it. Grr. oh well, I guess I didn't need to say all that anyway. Thanks for the post Lori, and your experience, Eileen.

Have a great weekend, ladies!

Wendy

November 19, 2010

I have to be totally honest here. Way back, when I first started, my mindset was that I had no experience, so I needed to get some. If I had seen both of these ads back then, I would've looked closer at the #1 ad simply because I was thinking, at that time, that a magazine would require a certain amount of experience at something.

The magazine ad doesn't state that requirement, but I would've looked at the pay and the part that says 'technical articles' and I would've assumed that you would need a ton of experience to get hired for it. So, I would never have given the #2 ad a thought. For that reason. The instant pay is certainly desirable, but the experience thing was more my issue.

It took a couple of years to realize what exactly could represent my experience for that job. Some ads ask for someone with a degree in a field, which I now know that it doesn't always have to be an obstacle, but I didn't know that then.

Does any of that make sense?

Lori

November 19, 2010

Makes perfect sense, Wendy. And I would agree with you in theory. But I think if you do the homework, study the magazine, and write a query based on your research, you stand the same chance as any other writer.

The thing is many writers wouldn't take the job at $100, as you well know, unless it's a quick write. So these markets may be more open than we think to new writers.

Paula

November 19, 2010

Magalog is my new favorite word.

Lori, next time you traipse the globe, force Eileen to write at least two guest posts: One on magalogs (just because I love the word) and another on simple motivational techniques like she mentioned above.

FYI, I just saw DS is now seeking "Independent Writing Contractors." Almost makes them sound respectable.

The project I could improve on is the trade article I'm doing for a publisher who likes to micromanage. I'm pushing back, though. When one of the sources they wanted in the article said his company wasn't a good fit (this is more like an apples and carrots situation than apples and oranges one), the editor said to include them anyway. I already had more sources than I need for the assigned length, so I spelled it out: The source knows his company doesn't fit; I already have too many sources based on your own sources-to-word-count ratio, so why waste my time and his? She agreed with me.

I'm also logging how much time I spend transcribing the interviews so the next time they try to assign something I can argue for a higher rate. I'm thinking something like, "Hah! That won't even cover the transcribing costs!"

Eileen

November 20, 2010

@Paula … You're making me blush. 🙂 How do you transcribe? Do you use any special equipment? My first career was with the government as a translator/transcriber and I had special equipment with the foot controls. I recently had to transcribe the audio from an infomercial DVD, and I outsourced it partly because I couldn't find an un-clumsy way of doing it.

Sal

November 21, 2010

@Lori – GREAT idea for a series. I agree with everyone so far. It is almost freaky with how often I have given up a "great" paying job and shortly after, got an AMAZING paying one. Funny how that happens 🙂

Also, I have found that attitude and excitement go a long way when there are prereqs for writing assignments. I didn't know a thing about health insurance (but it was on a topic I wanted to learn more about) so I put in a LOI and ended up getting the job.

Allena

November 21, 2010

"The thing is many writers wouldn't take the job at $100, as you well know, unless it's a quick write. So these markets may be more open than we think to new writers. "

EXACTLY! Don't write yourself short just 'cause it's a (!!!!!) print magazine (is it print? doesn't matter). If you can pull 10 articles on doo-hickeys out of your butt, it's quite possible that you could write one great, polished query AND AND AND it could be accepted! Do it!

Thanks Lori! Best post I've seen today.

Lori

November 22, 2010

Allena, I've never had to pull doo-hickeys, well, you know… LOL But I know what you're saying. You're right – AND AND AND it could! 🙂

I love when you visit. 🙂

Paula, you're thinking like I'm thinking. Eileen, you up for a guest post? I'd love to hear more!

Sal, very true. The attitude with which we present things can often squelch any argument. Well, except for those who are going to argue just for the principle of it. But there are plenty of times my confidence has halted any "Are you kidding?" responses. You just feel it, don't you? You can sense when they're dying to lower your price, even if they don't say it directly.

Paula

November 22, 2010

Eileen, I'm super low-tech. I have one cassette hooked to the corded phone with one of those devices that the phone line plugs into, and has the wire that connects it to the recorder. Once the interview is done, I have a second recorder at my desk that I used for playback.

(Yes, corded phone. Yes, cassettes. I did say low-tech, did I not?)

I just play/type/rewind and repeat endlessly. A couple friends borrowed real transcribing equipment to test out before they invested, and both found it cumbersome. I guess there's a learning curve before using it becomes second nature.

I don't quite trust myself with digital recorders. Right now I have a stack of four interview tapes waiting to be transcribed so there's no danger of accidentally recording over something.

Good news: transcribing the longest interview of this batch just took me 97 minutes. It only felt like 3 hours.

Eileen

November 22, 2010

Ugh. The playing/rewinding/typing thing would drive me bonkers. I got myself a $50 digital recorder to record some collaboration and brainstorm type meetings on a business trip last month. Best $50 I ever spent. I won't be transcribing them, though. They're mp3 files, and I dump them on to my computer the same day I record them so that even if I do accidentally erase them from the recorder, I have backup. The first time I re-listen to a session, I take notes about what it covers, and it's easy enough to replay that section when I need to.

Lori

November 22, 2010

Exactly, Eileen. Paula, spring for the digi recorder. It's totally worth it and still can attach to a corded phone if need be.

Paula

November 24, 2010

I like that the digital recorder costs about the same as a good cassette recorder. But remember when I said I'm low-tech? I'm not even sure what kind of memory space mp3s take up…. Right now each time I have to download a big file or photos I wonder if I'll have enough memory for it.

My cousin may have a used Mac for me – it's an old iMac they've added tons of memory to (he said they had something like 5,000 photos stored on it). On Thanksgiving we'll see if it has the OS I need. If it does, then I might be able to try the digital recorder. That's assuming I can figure out how to transfer files from one computer to the other without a CD burner.

See? Low tech. But cut me some slack. I just got a DVR yesterday. Cable company is giving me 6 months free DVR service. I'm still trying to figure out all of the options. It took the installer 90 minutes to get it set up. Why? On Demand wasn't working. Apparently I was supposed to have been getting that all along, but they had "traps" on the lines to filter the signal. When the pros have trouble with technology, it doesn't bode well for me.